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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22493611">Choice and Change (Time, Truth, and Hearts)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autistic_Ace/pseuds/S_M_F'>S_M_F (Autistic_Ace)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Wake - Dreamwidth Journal Roleplay, Young Wizards - Diane Duane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>'No Archive Warnings Apply' does not mean there are NO warnings; please check each chapter's notes, Don't copy to another site., General Content Warning: Mindfuckery, I literally joined the comm because I shipped this and now you can too., Multiversal Hubs, Other, Taking 'Stranger in a Strange Land' to new extremes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:07:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22493611</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autistic_Ace/pseuds/S_M_F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Where did the Powers come from? Why do the Powers simply not <i>notice</i> when there are two Nitas occupying the same space?</p><p>One unlucky Peridexion is about to find out...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Peridexis &amp; Nautilus (The Wake DWRP)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Anomaly Detected</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There are going to be a lot of links to Dreamwidth and Livejournal in the context of this fic. The former hold the majority of the context <em>for</em> this fic, the latter are included because of certain HTML fuckery not being carried over in the Dreamwidth migration of this comm. :/</p><p>Also the site keeps rewriting the links to &lt; a hrel = " nofollow " &gt;, so please check the endnotes for each chapter where links are featured! Thank you.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the peridexis (or ‘Bobo’ as it had been so nicknamed) had first processed the anomaly, the reaction had been to assume it <em>itself</em> had undergone serious malfunction. However, when the dual-priming subsided, Bobo could only conclude it had been a consequence of Nita’s recent interactions with the Shamask-Eilitt, and their case of <em>hwanthaet</em> that had leaked over to her through her partner Kit. The peridexis had done its best to focus on more immediate concerns from that point forward, and the issue did not resurface for almost a year.<br/>
<em>Almost</em> a year.<br/>
Just shy of a week after Nita and Kit had returned from the mass excursion on Tevaral (and, incidentally, the peridexis had done Kit a favor, and a prank on Ronan to-boot), the anomaly resurfaced… and sustained.<br/>
<em>This</em> time, Bobo decided, it wasn’t going to let matters stand. It was going to get to the <em>bottom</em> of this.<br/>
<a href="https://thewakelogs.dreamwidth.org/1242061.html?thread=59762637#cmt59762637"><em>/Nita!/</em></a><br/>
---<br/>
The conversation did not go as planned - which wasn’t hard to achieve, considering the peridexis hadn’t gotten much further than ‘ask Nita if she knew what was happening, alert the Powers if anomaly starts to propagate and/or deal damage to local spacetime’, and even <em>that</em> much proved impossible.<br/>
Not that it had many ways to test such a thing. ‘Feeling locked within yourself’ <em>indeed</em>…!</p><p>As it turned out, Nita had been called - <em>Called!</em> - elsewhere, and she had elected to bring certain friends of hers back to see home.<br/>
Given reality wasn’t shredding at the seams, or <em>screaming</em> at them rather, the peridexis could only complain so much - but then there was the information Nita’s friends had brought.<br/>
Waking, the Between, a city called Nautilus and a Deva named Cyrus… there was <em>no</em> precedent for such a thing. More importantly, there was no <em>memory</em> of such a thing, and that was what would have made Bobo pale, if it were capable of such reactions.<br/>
True, there being entirely Other Powers - other khiliocosms - only made sense, and that most of them seemed not as malevolent as the Devourer had been proved some small consolation, <em>but then why wouldn’t They remember?</em><br/>
The peridexis could only conclude - as Nita and her friends continued their tour, trying to avoid trouble in the Crossings and elsewhere - that this Isis that had stopped all natural Waking had committed some kind of <em>sabotage</em> as well.<br/>
And Bobo wasn’t going to take that in stride.</p><p>There was, unfortunately, no way to conduct its own surveillance on what had gone wrong from its current position - and, if what Nita’s friends had to share was any indication, no way to share the information with the <em>Powers</em> either, a worrying thought all its own - but it wasn’t going to take this lying down!<br/>
Or any form of passive manner at all, really, but that was beside the point.<br/>
However, one of Nita’s friends - Clef, who had seemed oddly <em>attached</em>, both to Nita and his own schema of Powers and Pillars - had given it an idea; <em>tracking</em> Nita’s signature was well within the peridexis’ prerogative. Even if the Between proved hazardous, well - it would know Nita anywhere, or at least <em>its</em> Nita, and their connection had to count for something.<br/>
Bobo was also certain of another thing: it couldn’t <em>tell</em> Nita what it was doing. Both on the off chance that it failed, meaning all it would do would be to let the ‘Unawake’ Nita know something was <em>seriously</em> wrong without being able to tell her what it was - and that it had an increasing sense that Nita <em>wouldn’t want anyone following.</em><br/>
Even if that was possibly a sensible idea.<br/>
Even if it meant facing Chaos.<br/>
Because Nita had spent a <em>long</em> time - more than half the time she’d been a wizard to begin with! - working it all out by herself, as a wizard working for the Powers, in unanticipated circumstances. And if it turned out that, the entire time, she hadn’t <em>had</em> to go it alone…<br/>
It would have been unfair - more than! - to get her hopes up, only to have that hope crushed.<br/>
And, the not-entirely-reasonable-notion was… Bobo simply didn’t <em>want</em> to do that to her.</p>
<hr/><p>The one matter consistent with the <em>last</em> time there had been an intrusion was that these guests, too, did not stay long. Nita had thankfully mitigated the majority of the possible headaches for Life in the Milky Way (and the peridexis had quietly taken care of the rest of them…), but to minimize her <em>own</em> risk value she, too, had to leave.<br/>
Which was when Bobo put its plan into action.<br/>
<tt>Automating Targeting Spell, Rescencion 9… Target Name: [Juanita L. Callahan, reference “Nita”, daughter of…] Clearance:   Range: Infinite</tt></p><p>This was going to be the exact opposite of a simple undertaking, though the peridexis had anticipated <em>that</em> much. Leaving the Clearance field blank also unnerved it, but that couldn’t be helped.<br/>
Now ‘hooked in’, all there was left to do was-</p><p>---</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>URL used: https://thewakelogs.dreamwidth.org/1242061.html?thread=59762637#cmt59762637</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Make Your Apologies, Take Flight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which there is more HTML fuckery, and also plot.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>What happened next could only be described as ‘whiplash’; the sensation would have been akin to being launched lengthwise into superdense matter, followed by a whiteout of <em>everything.</em><br/>
When the peridexis next resumed perception, however, all it could say for certain was that it was <em>outside.</em><br/>
On the outer edge of the khiliocosm.<br/>
Alone.</p><p>Though the tracking spell still ran, Bobo quietly gave way to panic.</p><p>It was some minutes - if time still applied at all - before it could recognize that this <em>was</em> a space.<br/>
The Between was black, a canvas both like and unlike space <em>inside</em> a universe, but it was not a blackness beyond comprehension.<br/>
The peridexis came to recognize that there were <em>lights</em> - other worlds! - as well, and studying the visage proved somewhat restorative while it tried to work out what to do next.<br/>
Now that it had accomplished this much, it couldn’t just <em>stay</em> here! It had a mission!</p><p>Only, when it tried to ‘move’ forward… nothing happened. Belatedly it remembered being informed of the suppression effect that normally kept all to their worlds; this must have been another consequence of the same mechanism.</p><p><em>Well, then,</em> Bobo thought to itself. <em>Where</em> is<em> this mechanism, exactly?</em></p><p>And so commenced an entirely different search.</p>
<hr/><p>Bobo spent quite some time trying to ‘reach’ the suppressant; Nita’s description of Isis as some sort of prodigy was apparently apt, much to Bobo’s consternation.<br/>
<em>This is just another form of Entropy,</em> it reminded itself. <em>And you help fight that all the time.</em><br/>
In the silence of the Between, it wasn’t all that reassuring.<br/>
<em>/Hello? Hello! In Life’s Name I greet you, and request an audience!/</em><br/>
There came back both an echo and a shadowy sense of <em>something</em> taking notice - the peridexis had to fight down its own creeping sense of dread - and then-</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <span class="u">
      <i>/̲?̲ᵖ̲ᵉ̲ᵉ̲ˡ̲ˢ̲ᴬ̲ ᵗ̲ᵒ̲ⁿ̲ ᵘ̲ᵒ̲ʸ̲ ᵉ̲ʳ̲ᵃ̲ ʸ̲ʰ̲ᵂ̲/̲</i>
    </span>
  </p>
</div><hr/><p>The peridexis, while a fragment of a larger Being in and of itself, did not normally think of itself as ‘small’. At the moment, however, it felt very small indeed.<br/>
<em>/I am following my wizard, who is not Asleep herself./</em></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <span class="u">
      <i>/̲?̲ᵉ̲ʳ̲ⁱ̲ˢ̲ᵉ̲ᵈ̲ ᵘ̲ᵒ̲ʸ̲ ᵒ̲ᵈ̲ ᵗ̲ᵃ̲ʰ̲ᵂ̲/̲</i>
    </span>
  </p>
</div>Again, it found itself at a loss for how to proceed. <em>But then, how long has this mechanism been left out here, alone?</em> Perhaps sympathy was the best plan.<br/><em>/What do</em> you<em> desire?/</em> it asked, perhaps projecting more confidence than it felt. <em>/I can tell that you are old, perhaps older than I… but when did you last meet with your creator, your progenitor?/</em><br/>There came a pause, which the peridexis did <em>not</em> know in the least how to interpret, before the suppressant effect again spoke, in that dialect stranger than and yet similar to the Speech:<div class="center">
  <p>
    <span class="u">
      <i> /̲‧̲ᵃ̲ⁱ̲ⁿ̲ⁿ̲ᵉ̲ˡ̲ⁱ̲ᵐ̲ ⁿ̲ᵉ̲ᵉ̲ᵇ̲ ˢ̲ᵃ̲ʰ̲ ᵗ̲ᴵ̲/̲</i>
    </span>
  </p>
</div>Perhaps this mechanism wasn’t <em>quite</em> older than wizardry - perhaps again time was simply utterly subjective - but that was not the issue at hand now.<br/><em>/It is terrible, for you to be kept waiting so,/</em> it continued, feeling a pang of <em>connection</em> with the issue at hand. <em>/Have you had no way to pass the time?/</em><br/>This time, the silence was answer enough. <em>/How terrible,/</em> it repeated, somehow softer than before.<br/>And then a terrible idea occurred to it. <em>/Why not take a rest yourself? If your energy is running low, then it is only pragmatic,/</em> it reasoned.<br/>If this worked, it would feel terribly guilty for pulling such a trick off. But if it didn’t… Bobo didn’t want to think about that.<p>Even so, it was some time before the suppressant responded again:</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <span class="u">
      <i>/̲‧̲ˡ̲ˡ̲ᵃ̲ʰ̲ˢ̲ ᴵ̲ ˢ̲ᵖ̲ᵃ̲ʰ̲ʳ̲ᵉ̲ᴾ̲/̲</i>
    </span>
  </p>
</div>The peridexis could <em>feel</em> the change take effect, though it was slow in coming. It was as if a radio station that had been tuned to static quieted… quieted… until it <em>clicked</em> and played nothing at all.<p><em>/Thank you,/</em> the peridexis whispered - and, internally, added <em>/I am sorry./</em></p>
<hr/><p>When nothing worse happened than the cessation of what it could only call ‘un-silence’, the peridexis turned its attention back to its tracking spell - which, much to its relief, was still running!<br/>
And when nothing terrible arose out of <em>Chaos</em>, it told itself to stop hesitating and <em>move!</em><br/>
---</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The backwards dialogue is as follows:</p><p>
  <i>/Why are you not Asleep?/</i>
</p><p>
  <i>/What do you desire?/</i>
</p><p>
  <i>/It has been millennia./</i>
</p><p>And <i>/Perhaps I shall./</i></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. It Can Always Get Worse; Perspective Flip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Antovil is one of my other favorite NPCs.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If the peridexic effect were to describe its journey using analogy, it would have considered traversing through the Between to be akin to ziplining.<br/>
Except the zipline was a running wizardry, and the surroundings were a kind of space that occasionally filled with clouds of pure chaotic possibility.<br/>
It didn’t quite make sense, and it wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t <em>painful</em> either.</p><p>Eventually, however, the wizardry began to taper off, and the peridexis could more easily see the unclouded Light above everything - and below that, three spheres, chained to each other across immense distance.<br/>
If it could have, it would have blinked. <em>This isn’t as hard as I thought it would be-</em></p><p>Which was when, naturally, it got much harder. Everything around and about the peridexis <em>chilled</em>, and what could have been mistaken for the blackness of regular space became much worse, and then-</p><p>Again, there was what could have been described as a ‘white-out’ - white-hot in intensity, even - a cavalcade of thoughts and memories and experiences, without division and without filter - all at once.<br/>
Only, not all - most? - of them were <em>its</em> thoughts, or memories, or experiences, and swiftly it became buried, buffeted by the flow of them, lost-<br/>
<em>What is this place?</em><br/>
<em>What is this?</em><br/>
<em>Why did I come here?</em><br/>
<em>Why-?</em><br/>
<span class="small">I-?</span><br/>
<span class="small"><em>Nita-?!</em></span></p>
<hr/><p>Elsewhere, in a place not entirely physical, but still much less hectic than the bowels of the Labyrinth, the Deva of Direction paused in his work.<br/>
“Oh, what now?” he asked, feeling a familiar nudge from the Aeon he’d worked with for the past seven years.<br/>
*!<br/>
“A meetin’, huh? Been a while since the last one,” Antovil replied, decommissioning the Bending underlying his last repair-projection.<br/>
It was only a moment’s teleportation to get him to the meeting site - years ago it would have been inside of one of Neriae’s bubbles, he found himself thinking with a pang of nostalgia, but those days were long gone - and he found Lixue already there, looking faintly unamused but with her usual grace.<br/>
“Not just Areva who’s late this time, eh?” Antovil remarked, to a polite scoff from the other Deva.<br/>
“Nictyx deigned to fetch her this time. I do not envy her,” she replied. He shrugged; the enmity between Areva and Lixue had long-ceased to needle him, and it hadn’t boiled over into their interactions with the Wakened…<br/>
Well, not that he’d seen.<br/>
A pronounced <em>whoosh</em> of air announced the arrival of the rest of the Deva - the Deva Quad, he’d nicknamed, though he never expected the others to use it - and whether they’d begin the meeting with expected status updates or verbal barbs became a useless question because-<br/>
*!</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <em>we have a new arrival</em>
  </p>
</div>“Another Wakened, you mean?” Nictyx asked, pointedly curious as always.<div class="center">
  <p>
    <em>no this one is special<br/>
i cannot read them exactly<br/>
they have been swept up carried into the Labyrinth</em>
  </p>
</div>Tension roiled through the room.<br/>“Why in the <em>worlds</em> would anyone try to come up to us through the Labyrinth?”<br/>That was Areva, sounding as baffled as Antovil felt.<div class="center">
  <p>
    <em>as far as i can tell that was not their plan<br/>
but no matter<br/>
I shall see to their safety myself<br/>
i only sought to warn you.</em>
  </p>
</div>And <em>that</em> just left all the Deva gobsmacked.<br/>“What’s interested you about this interloper?” Antovil asked, after having checked his jaw hadn’t dislocated somehow. “And why’s this only happening now?”<br/>This time, there came no response, provoking annoyance from both Lixue and, oddly, Areva.<br/>“Wonder what’s gotten on in tae his head, there? Or Heart, rather?” Nictyx voiced.<br/>“Can’t say I know him all that well, even now,” Antovil replied, stepping around the meeting table (and the other two quarrelling Deva - ah, apparently they were having a <em>productive</em> argument this time) to speak privately.<br/>“But if I had to guess, I’d say this is someone <em>he</em> feels tied to, and he wants to find out why. Best means we’d better prepare to be backup.”<br/>For the best-case scenario, anyhow.<hr/>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For reference, the other three Deva's titles are Thrills (for Areva), Puzzles (for Nictyx) and Renewal (for Lixue).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Bring It Closer to the Wake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Have you ever gotten that feeling that you're getting to see yourself the way others see you?</p><p>Bobo is about to deal with that, and it's not gonna like it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Obligatory <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5nlK0JJk-I">song link.</a></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Finally, <em>nothingness</em>. All of that noisy stimuli - that stretching, pulling, contorting of its nature into possibilities that <em>couldn’t</em> coexist - was gone, and they could just <em>rest</em>. Not being part of the world; not even observing. Just <em>there</em>, and nothing else.<br/>
There was a faint, pesky roaring sound, but they could cope with that.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <em>... wake up…!</em>
  </p>
</div>Or maybe not. But they weren’t going to respond to this voice, no way! Just let them sleep, thanks.<div class="center">
  <p>
    <em>you were never Asleep.</em>
  </p>
</div>Hmm? Still no matter, no thanks to <em>y</em> - whoever you are. They are not talking to you! There is no reason to be awake, nor place to be awake <em>in.</em><div class="center">
  <p>but the floor is cold</p>
</div>And yes, now that it was pointed out, the floor <em>was cold</em>, but they were not going to give the voice any satisfactory reaction-<div class="center">
  <p>
    <em>i need you to WAKE. UP.</em>
  </p>
</div>The peridexic effect pushed up - wait, <em>pushed?</em> And how could it tell that the floor was cold? In fact, where <em>was</em> here, and <em>why had it been asleep?!?!</em><p>There was the faintest echo, and a sense that this place wasn’t <em>quite</em> entirely dark, but apart from that the peridexis could sense <em>nothing</em> - including, it realized after a precious few seconds passed, the source of that voice.</p><p>“Whatever that was for,” it said, and was disturbed further by the fact it’s own voice had changed. “And whoever you happen to be, <em>that was a dirty trick."</em></p><p>The peridexis glowered at the unremarkable walls and floor, as the other voice replied:</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>it was funny though all the same.</p>
</div>Noting with a more distant dismay that its physical form was humanoid, the peridexis put its newfound head in its hands and <em>groaned.</em><hr/><p>As sour as Bobo felt about its new situation, it was glad it wasn’t totally alone. Making its way through the winding halls of what it could now discern was the <em>Labyrinth</em> Nita and her friends had only barely touched upon describing, it had nothing but questions for the strange new voice.<br/>
<em>If I’ve ever been this vague to anyone,</em> it found itself thinking, dozens of pointless passages later, <em>I owe a thousand apologies. Each.</em><br/>
And Dairine Callahan had once complained <em>prophecies</em> were vague. This voice - Nautilus, it had offered, one of its few straightforward answers if only by comparison - put all adaptive oracular statements to shame.<br/>
“If this Labyrinth connects all worlds together,” the peridexis thought out loud, “then why can’t you send me home through it? Or, why can’t I send <em>myself</em> home?”<br/>
The response this time was almost apologetic:</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>you sent Yourself here unfortunately<br/>
the Labyrinth has never been forgiving of intrusions.<br/>
You were lucky it detected that you were not hostile that you knew people I care for<br/>
I could perhaps intervene but it is tricky.</p>
</div>The peridexis looked - for lack of a better direction - <em>up</em>.<br/>“Would you try, then? Please? If not for me then for Nita Callahan.”<br/>There was what may as well have been an endless pause.<br/>Then,<div class="center">
  <p>yes</p>
</div>Only a few seconds later, however - Bobo counted - there was a very loud <em>THUD</em>, which echoed in ways that made it cringe.<br/>“That was not as planned,” came another voice, different from the one that had been speaking-<br/>Because it had <em>been changed.</em> The same way the peridexis’ own voice had been changed-!<br/>“I suppose this counts as just desserts to you, then,” Bobo said wryly, walking over to what it could faintly tell was another humanoid, darker-skinned than its own current shape.<br/>To which Nautilus, Aeon of Change, blew a raspberry.<br/>---
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Period of Adjustment - And Some Stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The CW for mindfuckery is especially relevant in this chapter.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some of these are references to old fanfics from ffnet - it's not crucial or anything if you happen to recognize them, but the Young Wizards canon contributes itself nicely to AUs, so I decided to play with that a little.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If the peridexis had not been aware of Isis’ own machinations, it mused, some time later in the echoing endless halls, it probably would have just punched the Aeon at that first opportunity. He <em>had</em>, in a manner of speaking, ‘taken’ Nita away from the Powers’ jurisdiction, given her an additional purpose and title, and could have been said to have split her loyalties.<br/>
But matters ran deeper than that, and in any case, they were too tired to be petty; their only solace from the sanity-draining effects of the Labyrinth were the earlier tracking spell (which was spitting out <em>incredibly</em> bizarre results, now; it would make interesting study later, provided they got out), and having someone else to talk to.<br/>
Even if the conversations grew increasingly bizarre in and of themselves:<br/>
“Donald Duck.”<br/>
“Seriously?” Bobo turned to look at him; as much as they happened to be paying attention to anything <em>changing</em> in the Labyrinth, some things were worthy of exceptional reaction.<br/>
“What? <em>You</em> said Mickey Mouse. What did you expect to hear next, Pluto?”<br/>
“That wouldn’t have been too far amiss,” they admitted wryly. Then added, “Perry the Platypus.”<br/>
“Ooooh, <em>what</em> a jump! But, alas,” Nautilus went on, grinning, “<em>I</em> met Phineas himself. Not that he was here for long, but, all the same - and that means I win!”<br/>
The peridexis rolled its eyes, sighing heavily. “And how did you talk me into playing this game again? We’re just reinventing <em>Ten Degrees of Kevin Bacon</em>.”<br/>
“Yes, yes we are,” Nautilus replied, that not-quite-placable accent affecting a cartoonishly familiar tinge. Dropping that, however, he resumed, “But I also wanted to hear what <em>you</em> thought about it. It’s really quite refreshing.”<br/>
Bobo didn’t quite know how to take that one.<br/>
---<br/>
Later, alternating more between tales of interactions between mortals and the Powers, and those of Wakened and Deva, the undistinguishable Halls gave way to dirt, then what could best be called ‘plastic’; the brightness of a heart of a star, followed by immense pressure as if under a great ocean.<br/>
No place the Labyrinth touched was the same, Bobo came to learn… but some of those places proved more interactive than others.<br/>
For it was one thing to know, objectively, that there were other possibilities for how the Powers ran things. It was another to receive and transmit reports from people who visited such universes.<br/>
It was altogether new again to be abruptly shoved <em>into</em> one:<br/>
---<br/>
(The world was quiet here. She had always liked that, the quiet. Being alone felt less lonely, here by the sea.<br/>
She’d been cast aside long ago, back when she had tried counting second upon second, racing the universe itself, when everything had still seemed wonderful…<br/>
She did not know how to feel wonderful now. Now there were only dreams, in this slice of Time’s Heart, and only occasionally someone just as lost as she to share them.<br/>
Not, of course, that the lost understood. To be lost was to be unloved, unable to <em>recognize</em> love, and their stay in this quiet world was shortened by their sense of disconnect.<br/>
But she’d wait, anyway; wait for someone to recognize her, and remember.<br/>
She’d forgotten how to do much else.)<br/>
---<br/>
The dark emptiness of the Labyrinth was a blinding contrast against the whiteness of Timeheart’s endless sky; the peridexis could feel its <em>soul</em> ache, and staggered with the contrast.<br/>
Breathing deeply, unevenly, they moved forward almost unthinking - and was caught by Nautilus before they could reach the floor.<br/>
“That… that was almost- too simple,” the peridexis said, more breath than voice.<br/>
“There’ll be more where that came from, then,” Nautilus replied, looking back at the swiftly-fading light the possible-world had created. “And worse,” he added, softly.<br/>
The peridexis would have sworn, but they were still too tired. <em>To be lost…</em><br/>
---<br/>
(This world, unlike the last, was not timeless - not some wistful what-if, but a real time, a real place…<br/>
Real errantry. Like <em>before</em>.<br/>
A planet, losing its wizards and covered in green. The magic of Life replaced by the magic of… love?<br/>
Carmela, chasing a Demisiv in danger of losing his wizardry, only to be… proposed to? By someone who wanted to duel <em>Kit</em>?<br/>
<em>/Is this really necessary?/</em><br/>
It got the sense Nita was trying not to swear. <em>We do</em> not<em> need more interruptions!</em><br/>
When she tried to open her mouth to protest the cliche distraction, however, no words would come.<br/>
Instead, <em>Carmela</em> spoke.<br/>
“Actually, I’m dating a tree. This is my brother; isn’t he adorable?”<br/>
The suitor now looked truly gobsmacked, and Kit fell to the ground outright in his sister-sourced embarrassment.<br/>
“‘Mela, <em>why are you like this?</em>”<br/>
“Because <em>I</em> choose to be,” she replied, seemingly even more delighted by the fact she’d managed to derail the situation so completely.<br/>
“And I don’t choose <em>you</em> either, though I’ll see you at the ball anyway!”<br/>
The peridexis was certain by now that, whatever was in charge of this planet’s kernel rewrite, it was <em>utterly stumped.</em><br/>
The suitor, similarly lost, simply walked away in a daze.<br/>
“Hope he’s not dating anyone himself,” Carmela remarked, as Kit and Nita cloistered themselves protectively around her. “Otherwise he’s going to be a <em>wreck</em> once this is over.”<br/>
“As long as this gets to <em>be</em> over, I can live with that!” Nita protested, voice returned at last.<br/>
The day passed quickly from there - Filif was found at the ball itself, only faintly remembering his friends and fellow wizards in addition to his own status.<br/>
The person who had organized this entire charade, conveniently, was <em>also</em> at the ball, wearing the kernel compacted into a heart-shaped necklace.<br/>
They stank of overshadowing, like the Lone Power’s King avatar at Rashah, but… softened. The sort of dark that pretended it was light, that it was doing everyone a favor, truly.<br/>
“<em>We’re going to need to get a word with that person,</em>” Nita hissed to Kit as they danced. They both were having trouble focusing, and the peridexis in turn was affected by their affection.<br/>
“<em>Yeah,</em>” Kit agreed, his own voice a murmur. “But wouldn’t it be cliche to get called up as the ‘pair of the hour’ or something? How could we withstand it?”<br/>
Nita slapped him, to try and snap him out of the defeatism, and then they were distracted in kissing each other again. Attempting to seek a retreat, the peridexis ‘reached out’ to the nearest safe place-<br/>
Which turned out, in what was likely the perfect picture of irony, to be the kernel itself.<br/>
<em>/Excuse me, but- what gives?/</em> it asked, attempting to be polite and feeling itself failing.<br/>
<em>{Helping them be happy. Isn’t that what you want, too?}</em><br/>
Whatever the wizards on this errantry had expected to confront, Bobo suspected this wasn’t it.<br/>
<em>/Not when they can’t fully be themselves in order to have it!/</em><br/>
The kernel had been warm and welcoming before, an echo of the human who held it; now, however, it was cold and haughty.<br/>
<em>{You would rather keep their love to yourself, then? Not letting them be happy with each other? How selfish!}</em><br/>
The peridexis could feel <em>something</em> happening - an incitation for it to rise to the bait, possibly - but it wasn’t just to the kernel, or around it.<br/>
<em>/You can’t look out for them forever! There’s more to Life than these small moments you’re reworking this world around -</em> forcing<em> it around, because it is the contrast that gives them meaning! I know you want to help them,/</em> it continued, quieting its ‘voice’, trying to hold the kernel’s focus.<br/>
<em>/And you’re right, I</em> do<em> want them to be happy - but</em> I’m<em> not going to take more of their lives than I’m given! Because it is</em> their<em> choice, not just mine!/</em><br/>
The kernel was suspicious, now. <em>{What is this, a trap?}</em><br/>
Well, if it wouldn’t realize things on its own… <em>/No, actually. But I</em> am<em> the distraction./</em><br/>
That was when the planet’s <em>real</em> Planetary - and their backup - burst onto the scene, and the world came undone and overrun with light…)<br/>
---<br/>
The contrast was less severe this time, though perhaps that was because Bobo was expecting it, now.<br/>
<em>Or,</em> they thought, falling on the floor, <em>I just think I am.</em><br/>
When Nautilus asked if they wanted to talk about what they saw, however, they shook their head.<br/>
<em>I am because</em> I<em> choose to be…</em>/<em>It is </em>their<em> choice, not just mine…!</em><br/>
Echoes, echoes of echoes, even - and so it wondered: what could possibly come next?<br/>
---<br/>
(In this world, there is Nita, but then she is <em>not Nita.</em><br/>
<span class="small">Connection: Revoked</span> is the only message it receives, and all the peridexis can think is <em>No, no, NO! Did I explain too much, should I not have been there at all, but she’d said she</em> needed<em> me, what sort of test is this, is this my fault-?</em><br/>
This Nita does not hear - but considering her near-immediate action is to <em>attack Kit</em>, perhaps that is the better option.<br/>
The situation diffuses on its own, and this Nita’s tale - being the Lone Power’s Chosen for Earth, fighting the One’s agents as they steal life from the universe - is as disturbing as it is plausible. <em>Even the One Itself has shades,</em> the peridexis reasons to itself; frankly, however, the Lone Power being in the right in the other Nita’s universe is less surprising.</p><p>Time passes, and this Nita and Kit learn from each other - meanwhile, the peridexis is busy pulling every string it can, prying, seeking for some explanation for <em>why</em> this shift occurred.<br/>
“They can learn from each other,” is all it is given, but a quiet part, a selfish part, the part the peridexis would be shamefaced to admit is <em>lonely</em>, can’t help but think: <em>But what am</em> I<em> supposed to learn?</em><br/>
Eventually, it stops asking, forcibly turns its attention away from Earth when it is not directed there as aid, stops distinguishing between <em>What is Nita doing?</em> and <em>What is</em> this<em> Nita doing?</em><br/>
Eventually, it gives up.<br/>
And life goes on.)<br/>
---<br/>
Bobo regained consciousness in the Labyrinth well after the possible-world closed off again, thinking distantly that it would have made more sense for the last two worlds to have been reversed.<br/>
Voicing this thought to Nautilus, the Aeon’s response was: “Ah, but causation is an illusion! Here in the Labyrinth, anyway.”<br/>
This managed to provoke an eyeroll - and a smile.<br/>
---<br/>
(In this world, there are no Powers. Only Entropy, and a species wishing to live longer than it can.<br/>
This species goes on to feed off of other species to lengthen its own existence. Each individual has the ability to <em>create</em> powers for use by others, but that power comes at a cost - in both its creation, and its use.<br/>
For the gifters, it is their intelligence; the gifted, their sanity. This makeshift wizardry brings nothing but ruin, and revolutions of ruin.<br/>
Only for one human - and yes, it is a human - to put their offered gift to the test, to strain beyond strain, and <em>reach</em> beyond their ken-)<br/>
---<br/>
This world had been, somehow, several worlds at once: one where the gifting species were meta-Entities, another where they were Incubators; others still, more strained.<br/>
Funnily enough, Bobo recalled as they explained to Nautilus, somehow they had managed to sound the same. Defeatist, yet optimistic at the same time…<br/>
---</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Shenanigans Continue~</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which there is a detour, followed by a few more worlds.</p><p>And then, the premise of the crossover is re-addressed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is this really necessary?”<br/>
“Yes, dear Bobo, yes it is.”<br/>
The peridexis sincerely regretted informing the Aeon of that nickname; they were beginning to understand, just a little, why Nita loathed being called ‘Louise.’ It may not have been nearly the same, but it <em>felt</em> somehow similar.<br/>
The two of them had found a corner of the Labyrinth coated with moss, with a breeze blowing through it that smelled of more than dank emptiness. It would have been utterly bizarre even outside of this context, but here it was just one more example of the place’s constantly-in-motion Chaos.<br/>
There was a tree stump, and what Nautilus had described as an inactive opening.<br/>
Naturally, they were going to try to open it. “Because why not?” had been Nautilus’ initial explanation, which was no better than what he offered now.<br/>
“Haven’t we been <em>anchored</em> in these forms somehow? How do you expect us to fit?”<br/>
“Shouldn’t you know about the magic of willpower?” the humanized Aeon teased, turning to face them specifically to wink. “Besides, we wouldn’t have been led here just so it could point at us and laugh at our dead end. Wherever someone goes in the Labyrinth, there is <em>opportunity,</em> something to be learned.”<br/>
That did, admittedly, make sense to the peridexis, but its relief was tampered by Nautilus promptly stepping on <em>top</em> of the stump and disappearing from all perception entirely.<br/>
Rushing to the stump, the peridexis inspected it carefully - finding, only after several minutes, the last dregs of light surfacing through the rings.<br/>
If this had been a portal, it was certainly closed now.<br/>
“If you were trying to prank <em>Nautilus,</em>” Bobo proclaimed to the Labyrinth at large, not expecting any response, “Then well done, congratulations. Now <em>I am going to go find him,</em> and unless you are going to escort both of us home I would appreciate <em>no further intervention.</em> Thank you.”<br/>
Then, sighing, they moved off down the now-revealed passageway.<br/>
---<br/>
They found Nautilus some minutes later, rubbing his bruised head and with a wry expression on his face.<br/>
“I really should have seen that one coming. Thanks for coming to get me,” he said, getting up only slowly.<br/>
Oddly enough, the peridexis found itself smiling again. “You’re welcome. Just don’t fall down another dead tree on my account!”<br/>
---<br/>
(In this world, wizardry has only one progenitor, and that Power is protective of it.<br/>
For the Eldest did not invent death but another tool for Life - and the One’s Boldest brought forth the idea of making the infinite finite, instead.<br/>
Of course, They fought, pulling more and more of the other Powers in out of their usual orbits, distorting and rending the newfound space and time terribly-<br/>
And the Eldest fled, taking both Its invention and Its pride as It had done in elsewhen… but with a companion that sought only to understand, and help.<br/>
Death, in this world, does not bring suffering; wizardry does not preserve life. However, both <em>can</em> be put to those purposes, and the Eldest seeks only someone who will <em>appreciate Their gift properly.</em><br/>
With each new species, they try again, to mostly unsatisfactory conclusions. They are always on the run from death, and the other Powers, in fear their quest will simply be ended.<br/>
But they are not alone. They have each other, perhaps in spite of everything else…)<br/>
---<br/>
After recovering from the next uncovered life of adventures, the peridexis was lost to wistfulness for some time.<br/>
<em>Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are these: it might have been.</em><br/>
Would that the Lone Power had had a companion, in the beginning of things, perhaps everything <em>could</em> have been better - but that was not the version of reality the peridexis had come from. It could not pretend the other world was more real, just because the possibility <em>sounded</em> ideal.<br/>
But at the same time, due to this Labyrinth, it <em>had</em> lived through that world, which made it real in a way - right?<br/>
---<br/>
(This is not a new world. This is a memory.<br/>
<span class="small"><tt>Oh no.</tt></span><br/>
The very fabric of space-time is being pushed apart, something <em>wrong</em> seeping through to corrupt the dark matter and its associates keeping the galaxies spinning, keeping your own hyperstring foundations anchored at a steady rate.<br/>
<span class="small"><tt>Not this, please, not this…</tt></span><br/>
One by one, the oldest forget. Wizardry cannot live in the unwilling heart.<br/>
The youngest, in their stead, are granted power - more than they, or you, are comfortable with, yet all of it is necessary to minimize loss of life.<br/>
<span class="small"><tt>No, no, no…</tt></span><br/>
There is a contrast, almost beautiful in its terror: those with the most experience, who <em>know</em> you and handle you responsibly, now forgetting you were ever real, meaningful, or valid, succumbing to paranoia, depression, and violence…<br/>
And those who are the youngest, letting you <em>burn</em> through their brains because they are desperate, they are sacrifice, and you <em>cannot say no.</em> How wonderful to be used, to your fullest potential! Yet, how terrible to destroy...<br/>
<span class="small"><tt><em>NO-!</em></tt></span><br/>
In the end, you can only help so much. How <em>easily</em> the Oldest Outlier can shut you down, shredding hope and escape and oh so many things you only wish you could provide.<br/>
How foolish of you, to act on your own. How wrong, to escape the bounds your progenitors have set, to reach beyond even the widest-possible range!</p><p>Perhaps They should have decommissioned you instead.)<br/>
---<br/>
Nautilus did not, could not understand why the peridexis was in panic, why it demanded he remind it of why it came here - of Nita Callahan’s story, her status as wizard <em>and</em> Angelii, of temporarily shutting down the suppressant mechanism that had prevented it following her-<br/>
“Wait, <em>you</em> did that? All by yourself?”<br/>
For once, the Aeon looked utterly taken by surprise; not angry, but not amused either.<br/>
<span class="small">”Yes.”</span><br/>
The peridexis wouldn’t meet his eyes. <span class="small">”And isn’t that fitting? All I bring is ruin, shutdown-”</span><br/>
Nautilus held them by the shoulders, anchoring them in place with sheer force and the intensity of his gaze. <em>”How did you accomplish it?”</em><br/>
“I- I only asked, persuaded it to conserve energy. But it was selfish, wasn’t it-?”<br/>
“Bobo. Peridexion,” he added, skipping out on nicknames for once. “You have accomplished, either temporarily or permanently, the <em>one thing</em> that will ensure the resurgence of the Cycle. <em>That is the opposite of an act of ruination.</em>”<br/>
The panicked expression on the peridexis’ face was tempering even as he spoke, eyes widening with something other than self-loathing and horror.<br/>
“Your act of persuasion may have <em>saved the worlds.</em> You are <em>better than you think yourself to be.</em> You are <em>more</em> than you think yourself to be, and that is why you made it this far. I will not hear otherwise from you from this moment forward. <em>Is that understood?</em>”<br/>
Bobo was shocked speechless, and Nautilus noted with satisfaction that it really <em>did</em> feel good to say that sort of thing to someone’s face.<br/>
Especially when he meant it.<br/>
The peridexis nodded, and they could only move forward.<br/>
---</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The World That Wasn't</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is probably the shortest chapter in this fic by a long shot.</p><p>The <em>longest</em> chapter, I'm still working on.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Nautilus' <em>actual</em> tale isn't mine to tell - all I really can tell you is that it exists.</p><p>It is also very much Not Mine. =P</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nautilus stopped Bobo in their tracks at the next lightening of a possible-world, arm snapped out to block their path.<br/>
The view appeared to show only endless sea, but something else about it must have been familiar, if the look on the humanized Aeon’s face was any indication.<br/>
“This connection is… personal,” he explained, but no further.<br/>
“Too personal to walk alone?” the peridexis replied, moving forward for the sole point of turning to make eye contact.<br/>
All the same, Nautilus avoided it, letting the only sound in response be the sound of the sea.<br/>
Even the walls were moist, in this part of the Labyrinth; they glistened as if with secrets, sparks fading as soon as they met the eye.<br/>
For some minutes, a silent contest of wills ensued, until at last:<br/>
“No,” Nautilus replied, shoulders lowered. “But all the same, I must ask you to swear you will not pass on any word or image of what you see. Not from this.”<br/>
“I swear,” Bobo intoned. The words echoed, and then there was only the sound of the sea, and what laid at its heart.<br/>
---<br/>
“So <em>that’s</em> where you got your Name!” the peridexis replied, finding its own voice loud in the absence of the storm.<br/>
The two of them were soaking wet - witnessing years’ worth of seafaring up close could do that to anyone, let alone the Labyrinth deciding to drop them right on top of it.<br/>
“Yes!” came the reply, in a much more chipper voice than had last echoed down these halls. “But you remember what you promised.”<br/>
“Yes,” was the response. “Though, does that mean if <em>Nita</em> weren’t around, you wouldn’t call me Bobo?”<br/>
“The comparison <em>is</em> apt,” Nautilus remarked, shaking off water from his hair in a fruitless maneuver that only spread it about. “But then, if Nita hadn’t answered the Call, we wouldn’t have met to begin with!”<br/>
“Small price to pay for a meeting,” Bobo said, scornful. “But if it is the price, then so be it. Now, where were we?”<br/>
Nautilus looked about the dry walls, which were a lighter color than he last remembered. “Still stuck, alas, but closer to my Heart. We’ll be through with this journey yet, Peridexion!”<br/>
The answering grin was reply enough, and they proceeded onward, mood better by miles than it had been.<br/>
---</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Truth (part one)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This chapter contains the interaction I built this entire fic's idea around, by the way.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were, of course, more worlds to pass through; more memories that weren’t quite its own for the peridexis to deal with - a version of Nita that needed a more nonsensical version of her <em>extracted</em>, just as one example - but at the same time, there were also more possibilities where <em>both</em> stuck beings could pass through.<br/>
The peridexis would not forget being a mouse any time soon, <em>that</em> was for certain.<br/>
The journey, while less of a source of despair and hopelessness than it had once been, seemed to go on forever. Just endless twisting halls, the occasional dead-end, and the sensation of <em>something</em>, unwilling to be known, watching…<br/>
And then:<br/>
“Well, here we are,” Nautilus announced. The space the two had just walked through abruptly disconnected from the path, and there was a shielded <em>something</em> ahead, glowing softly blue…<br/>
“Home at last! Or, almost,” he added, turning to his companion - and froze at Bobo staring in horror at what the dome contained.<br/>
“How… can you <em>live</em> like this? How long have you been in this state?”<br/>
“Well, the last damage sustained was only a few years past, but that <em>is</em> mostly healed and really, it’s not as important-”<br/>
<em>This</em> time, the peridexis punched him.<br/>
---<br/>
Some minutes later, wary silence resumed.<br/>
“<em>How</em> long have you been in this state?” Bobo asked again. Nautilus looked tightly bemused, as the past minutes had been filled with apologies for the peridexis’ own hotheaded action. <em>Out of the frying pan, into the fire,</em> he mused.<br/>
“Surely you’ve let the Deva repair at least some of the damage?”<br/>
“Of course, yes,” he admitted. “But… the damage does run deeper than I- would have been comfortable admitting. The only Deva I have worked with who would have known how those other parts worked was-”<br/>
He cut off there, but the name <em>Cyrus</em> practically echoed with the Labyrinth’s own vibration.<br/>
“And none of the people you work with now have known you as well, or as long,” the peridexis surmised. Sighing, their shoulders slumped. “Even from here, I can see the foundation of your super-structure is cracked, whatever she used to piece what’s holding you together is fading… the Chaos filters are likely the only structures working properly.”<br/>
“And that out of necessity, yes.”<br/>
They had found a spot to sit down on, close to the Heart’s entrance, and the peridexis laid down entirely in an exhausted motion.<br/>
“I <em>can’t</em> leave you like this-” they began to explain, only for Nautilus to hush them.<br/>
“You know you <em>can</em>-”<br/>
“It is a possibility, yes,” they echoed, with a vitriol that took the Aeon by surprise. “Just as I could do untold damage if you <em>did</em> let me in. But I can’t, and furthermore I won’t, because <em>that is not how I choose to be.</em> That is not <em>who</em> I choose to be.”<br/>
They sat up forcefully, making eye contact with all they had.<br/>
“You have been going it alone for a long time, in some ways. So much so that you’re used to it, maybe. Well, I’m used to being alone too. <em>But that doesn’t mean either of us have to be.</em><br/>
“I still have to get back to Nita - that’s what I came here for, and I intend to see it through - but if you think how you are now is just how things are going to be…”<br/>
They shook their head, and Nautilus grinned wryly, perhaps having a sense of what was coming next.<br/>
“Then you’ve failed at being who <em>you</em> are. The only constant is change, no? So - why not change <em>this?</em>”<br/>
They gestured at the open Heart.<br/>
There was, again, silence.<br/>
<span class="small">”All right,”</span> Nautilus said, and the peridexis got up and held out a hand.<br/>
“Let’s get to work, then.”<br/>
---</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Archives (pt 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Splitting this chapter in two - we're going through six years' worth of memories here!</p><p>These conversations, naturally, are just a small slice - and not every entry is commented upon, either.</p><p>Links are posted in order in the endnotes.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The condition of the Heart’s insides proved much worse even than the peridexis had discerned: it was reduced to stopping in one spot and simply <em>staring</em> at the network of orbs stretching up and away into what seemed infinity.<br/>
Nautilus, for his part, simply leapt up onto the Network without a second thought - this was, after all, his home, for lack of a better word. Eventually, Bobo could no longer track the other’s form - and then there came a faint ‘ow.’<br/>
“You were right!” was the follow-up. “It appears I can’t resume my normal state of being until we’re both done here.”<br/>
“Then where do you want me to start?” the peridexis called back, hands on hips and looking about to gauge the damage. “These foundational pieces are all the oldest, correct? Nothing new has been substituted?”<br/>
“Of course!” There wasn’t precisely an echo, but it <em>felt</em> somehow akin to that. “Just check on them one-by-one. I can re-tune them when they’re replaced.”<br/>
“And once we have their energies re-synced,” the peridexis concluded, relieved, “then we <em>should</em> have enough power to seal those cracks!”<br/>
“In that case,” Nautilus joked, “Let’s get crackin’!”<br/>
Bobo mimed throwing an orb at him.<br/>
---<br/>
Each orb proved to be a memory - of something one Wakened or another had done, conversations they had had, bizarre stunts they had pulled. There was no use counting time, but the peridexis grew to appreciate that this was an operation that had spanned even only a few very productive years:<br/>
<a>”Nita was right, this</a> <em>is</em> a familiar language,” Bobo remarked, ‘reading’ one of the first foundational fragments. “It is similar to the Speech, but… older.”<br/>
“Other worlds than these, hmm?” Nautilus replied, voice distant in more ways than one. “The connection that drew you to me before the Labyrinth intervened <em>was</em> quite strong; there may be another layer to it.”<br/>
---<br/>
Some minutes later, the peridexis glowered at another orb, the ‘date’ keyed in being two weeks later.<br/>
<a>Now this</a> would be the effect Nita was concerned about, why I hadn’t been able to catch on sooner.” They shuddered.<br/>
“I have no wish to experience <em>that</em>-”<br/>
They had been about to say ‘again’. But that wasn’t true, was it? Hadn’t their restlessness been out of concern and confusion, not from suddenly being Awake and trapped?</p><p>Other memories provoked less food for thought and more incredulity:</p><p><a>”Musicals,</a> really?”<br/>
“Why <em>not</em> <a>musicals?</a>”<br/>
---<br/>
“Learning <a>not to take things that aren’t yours</a> is a very important lesson, Nautilus.”<br/>
“Well, it’s not as if <em>I</em> needed to learn that one! That was <em>Aaron’s</em> problem with <em>his</em> Unwakened self, not mine!”<br/>
---<br/>
Then there came more dramatic turns:<br/>
<a>”...”</a><br/>
“I suppose the only real surprise there was that Starscream didn’t pull something sooner. But- why let it happen at <em>all?</em> Surely you’d had warning-”<br/>
“The short answer? Time travel.”<br/>
The answering wince was practically palpable.<br/>
“That, and Cyrus was always better at forgiving people than I am. Keep going; you might be surprised how much it affects him.”<br/>
---<br/>
“And just who is <a>this?</a>”<br/>
“The other half.”<br/>
“Of?” And then, “Oh. <em>Oh.</em>”<br/>
“Do <em>not</em> fuck around with the Labyrinth, little Peri. Word to the wise.”<br/>
---<br/>
And then, again, more silliness:<br/>
“Does <a>this</a> happen to everyone?”<br/>
“Define ‘this’. I can’t actually see what you’re doing down there!”<br/>
“I know perfectly well that you can, Nautilus. This is <em>your</em> domain!”<br/>
“Anyway, yes, yes it does.”<br/>
---<br/>
“Now <a>this</a> is <em>interesting.</em> Is Jin no longer around, then?”<br/>
“Unfortunately yes, and it’s a tragedy for multiple reasons. Still, you’re doing great, keep going!”<br/>
---<br/>
“And <a><em>that</em></a> is just <a>disturbing.”</a><br/>
“Ah, you’ve found when they started to clue in to the <em>real</em> story. Luckily for us <a>Solaris</a> cooperated.”<br/>
“So <em>that’s</em> who that was. I take it he is no longer around either?”<br/>
“He’s no longer contactable. Beyond that, I cannot say.”<br/>
---<br/>
<a>”Between this</a> and the raining cake, I’m not sure <em>what</em> to make of your sense of humor anymore, Nautilus.”<br/>
“Why, thank you~”<br/>
---<br/>
“That’s odd,” the peridexis remarked, holding up what appeared to be an orb filled with static. Most of the orbs thus far had been ‘grayed-out’, which the Aeon confirmed meant the Wakened within had since gone to Sleep - the man named ‘V’, who the peridexis had seen with Nita, was the only face recognizable in Wakened context, and not grayed-out - this one escaped analysis.<br/>
“Wonder what - or who - is supposed to be in here?”<br/>
There came no immediate response.<br/>
“I doubt I could say,” Nautilus said, startling Bobo due to his sudden nearness; he’d climbed down himself to get a closer look. “Even if I were able to.”<br/>
“And <em>what</em>,” Bobo retorted, “is <em>that</em> supposed to mean?”<br/>
The Aeon shrugged.<br/>
---<br/>
“Now <a>this</a> is an interesting fellow! Perhaps-”<br/>
“He left with Solaris,” came the offhand reply.<br/>
The peridexis sighed.<br/>
“I know, I know. Terribly familiar AND tragic at the same time!”<br/>
---<br/>
All the peridexis did upon first finding <a>the memory of Isis’ arrival</a> was to <em>glower.</em><br/>
“Familiar territory for you, no?”<br/>
“If you mean the Oldest Outlier, then yes. It would not be surprising if they took notes from the same book-”<br/>
They broke off, considering the horrifying and suddenly <em>very</em> plausible notion that <em>they very well could have done that.</em><br/>
“Exactly.”<br/>
Nautilus’ response was uncharacteristically grim - at which point the peridexis set down the memory solidly, intent on reading the next.<br/>
And the next.<br/>
And the next.<br/>
---<br/>
<a>”So you made posts too.”</a><br/>
“That one was the first, yes.”<br/>
“I hate Isis even more now. I wasn’t aware that was possible.”<br/>
---<br/>
<a><em>”Well.</em></a> I suppose one can always trust Starscream to be Starscream.”<br/>
“And yet, the only constant is change~”<br/>
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you were proud.”<br/>
---<br/>
“... She <em>literally</em> <a>cut you down?</a>”<br/>
“I assure you, the damage was temporary. My Wakened were able to restore the chains without <em>too</em> much undue exposure to Chaos.”<br/>
“Not what I meant, but good to know. What I meant was: that was <em>horribly</em> petty of her. And psychopathic.”<br/>
“Oh, absolutely it was.”<br/>
---<br/>
“<a>...</a> <em>What.</em>”<br/>
“Don’t ask <em>me</em>! It’s like the memories from the musical reality storm; just accept that it’s bizarre and move on.”<br/>
---<br/>
“I think Nita also mentioned <a>this person…?</a>”<br/>
“That is Antovil, yes. He’s the only one of Isis’ former Ashura remaining, alas. He is now the Deva of Direction.”<br/>
“And you didn’t let <em>him</em> help find me because…?”<br/>
“There’s a Network post here that explains it, not to worry. Suffice it to say he had a <em>very</em> unpleasant experience.”<br/>
“I wasn’t implying he would have to come back <em>down</em> here!”<br/>
“Oh, well, er…”<br/>
---<br/>
“If <a>these people</a> are any indication, I suppose we <em>could</em> have gone farther with our version of ‘Ten Degrees of Wakened’.”<br/>
“Yes, quite~”<br/>
---<br/>
<a>”Why is this so funny?”</a><br/>
“Because <em>MUSICALS,</em> my dear Bobo.”<br/>
“Don’t make me come up there!”<br/>
---<br/>
“... <a>Batman,</a> too, really?”<br/>
“Even the Dark Knight needs a break sometimes, you know?”<br/>
“I’m sure.”<br/>
The dryness was palpable.<br/>
---<br/>
And then, seriousness resumed:<br/>
“So you did fight her.”<br/>
“After substantial <a>reconnaissance</a>, yes. And an additional month’s work of <a>preparations.</a>”<br/>
“But did <em>you</em> fight?”<br/>
“Ah. Ahem, yes. <a>After a fashion.</a>”<br/>
“... <em>Explain.</em>”<br/>
---<br/>
“So you embodied.”<br/>
“Yes. I assure you it was not planned in advance, and inasmuch as it <em>was</em> planned, it was Saix’s idea.”<br/>
“But it worked?”<br/>
“Yes. More importantly, the Wakened came together, and we triumphed.”<br/>
A sigh.<br/>
“You don’t sound pleased about it.”<br/>
“As much as it was a relief to end Isis’s mad reign, I weep for what she in turn could have been, had she changed her ways. Is that not reasonable?”<br/>
“... It is. Reasonable.”<br/>
---<br/>
But, as with many things pertaining to the city, the serious atmosphere did not last for long:<br/>
“<a>The hell?</a>”<br/>
“<em>TRAINS!"</em><br/>
---<br/>
“Please tell me <a>this song</a> wasn’t somehow <em>your</em> invention.”<br/>
“It’s not. <a>And neither was</a> <em>My Immortal,</em> before you ask.”<br/>
“Wait, <em>what?</em>”<br/>
---<br/>
“You must hear <a>a lot of speeches like this.”</a><br/>
“<em>As you know by now,</em> yes I have. And that one is <a>far from the last.</a>”<br/>
---<br/>
“Hey, don’t skip <a>that one.</a>”<br/>
“I wasn’t going to. I was going to say, though - you certainly know how to bring out people’s depths.”<br/>
An overaffected gasp. “A <em>pun?</em> From <em>you?</em> Will wonders never cease!”<br/>
A slightly-less affected sigh. “Nautilus, you don’t need to be dramatic to make a point.”<br/>
---<br/>
“... <em>!!!</em>”<br/>
“I <em>told</em> you <a>Antovil</a> had a particularly unpleasant encounter with the Labyrinth. I didn’t say it was while he was <em>inside</em> it!”<br/>
---<br/>
“I really cannot overstate this, but <a>you really Call all sorts,</a> don’t you?<br/>
“Yes, quite~.”<br/>
---<br/>
“So, <a>there were two of them?</a>”<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“And both of them have since returned to Sleep?”<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“... I am sorry.”<br/>
“It is a sentiment… <em>appreciated,</em> but not necessary, Bobo. But thank you.”<br/>
---<br/>
“Pranking <a>the reclusive types</a> seems to be your forte. Any reason behind that?”<br/>
There was a deliberate silence.<br/>
“You’re just moving your eyebrows up-and-down at me, aren’t you.”<br/>
A more smug silence.<br/>
---<br/>
“Aha! I <em>did not</em> <a>imagine the cake!</a>”<br/>
“Oh? That earlier one must have been a misfile, sorry.”<br/>
There came a soft <em>thump.</em><br/>
“<em>Why</em> did Cyrus opt for a vertical structure? I am <em>more than ten meters</em> above the ground, Nautilus!”<br/>
“Ah, but what are measurements in the Labyrinth!”<br/>
“Don’t you laugh at me!”<br/>
---<br/>
“... <a>This didn’t end well,</a> did it?”<br/>
“No one was Unmade! People learned about themselves!”<br/>
“<em>Nautilus…</em>”<br/>
“Alright, so there <em>was</em> trauma. But some people have more trouble talking about their histories than others.”<br/>
Another, very <em>pointed</em> silence.<br/>
“... I see.”<br/>
---<br/>
“Alright, <em>what</em> happened during this timeframe? Why did this ‘City of Pillow’ only show up now? Why are there so few <em>memories</em> from this period?”<br/>
Nautilus scuttered down the Network lines swiftly, this time taking out <a>an orb</a> himself. “The dark Aeon came. The first time.”<br/>
The peridexis balked. “A ‘dark’ Aeon? The <em>first</em> time? What-”<br/>
“We - <em>I</em> was snuck upon. All Unascended Wakened were taken from me. Their own Bending used to weaken me. If it wasn’t for the inhabitants of Pillow we would not have been able to retrieve them.”<br/>
Their eyes narrowed. “The <em>first</em> time.”<br/>
“Yes. You’ll get to the second time yet. It was… even less pleasant.”<br/>
“Joy.”<br/>
---</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Cyrus using the 'old' Speech: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/3559.htm<br/>On going home: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/10233.html<br/>"Musicals, really?" https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/39648.html<br/>"Why <em>not</em> musicals?" https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/52761.html<br/>An NPC stole Sari Sumdac's key; Cybertronians turned human, and vice-versa! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/74491.html<br/>Starscream permakills Cyrus (with help): https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/123022.html<br/>Mare arrives: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/147024.html<br/>Shenanigans~ https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/173323.html<br/>Jin explains a little about <em>undoing</em>: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/177038.html<br/>Aaron's story (CW: Body Horror):  https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/259389.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/280338.html<br/>Solaris cuts through the (Reality) Storm: https://thewake-rp.livejournal.com/280749.html<br/>Some City Shifts are Silly: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/341172.html<br/>Saviel: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/358126.html<br/>Isis saunters in: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/364051.html<br/>Nautilus can <em>feel?</em> https://thewake-rp.livejournal.com/380362.html<br/>Starscream Does Another Betrayal: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/387065.html<br/>Severing the Chains to Kalliste: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/387776.html<br/>An LJ Post: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/427696.html<br/>Antovil Makes an Announcement: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/455012.html<br/>Obscure Characters Unite! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/496916.html<br/>More Musicals: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/534787.html<br/>Bitty Batman: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/562997.html<br/>Aaron's Updates on Kalliste: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/582929.html<br/>Saix???? https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/656497.html</p><p>Taking apart a train in midair: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/696821.html<br/>Ear-Worm? https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/707928.html<br/>The <em>My Immortal</em> post: https://thewake-rp.livejournal.com/568646.html<br/>Saying Goodbyes: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1225799.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1514511.html<br/>From <em>who?</em> https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1234994.html<br/>The Labyrinth Emerges: https://thewake-rp.livejournal.com/1268093.html</p><p>Obscure Character Intensifies: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1376050.html<br/>Rise of the Fish People! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1388812.html<br/><em>Ninja.</em> https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1445195.html<br/>Cake Post: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1465107.html<br/>Persona Storm: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1470731.html</p><p>Wakenednapped! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1535486.html</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Archives (pt 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The rest of the recap - and then, someOne that <em>really shouldn't be here!</em></p><p>(The joke about the 'refitting' is that this was one of those comms that made the jump to Dreamwidth from Livejournal.)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Not that <a>I don’t approve of the line of questioning here</a>, but-”<br/>
“It was a setup.” Delivered with uncharacteristic flatness.<br/>
“<em>What.</em>”<br/>
“Hekket. His role was to set us up, merely to reap the power from the ensuing battle.”<br/>
“...”<br/>
“I don’t know <em>why</em> he changed, only that his time in the Labyrinth - <em>how</em> he became a Deva - is what changed him. … I wish-”<br/>
“That you could have done something? Nautilus, look.”<br/>
A soft <em>clunk</em><br/>
“Making excuses for others’ behavior only hurts <em>you,</em> and it doesn’t help <em>them.</em> You don’t have to have an explanation for what he did to justify having mixed emotions about what happened.”<br/>
Silence.<br/>
“... Thanks. I think- I <em>did</em> need to hear that.”<br/>
---<br/>
“Why do I feel like <a>I know this song?</a>”<br/>
“I couldn’t tell you that, but it <em>is</em> catchy, no~?”<br/>
---<br/>
“Tell me, do Wakened <a>still hate Valentine’s Day?</a>”<br/>
“... <strike>No.</strike> Yes.”<br/>
“That’s what I thought.”<br/>
“That incident isn’t <em>from</em> Valentine’s Day, though!”<br/>
“That you feel the need to clarify is still answer enough!”<br/>
---<br/>
<a>This memory</a> was distorted, but not in the way of <em>static</em><br/>
<span class="small">”That was her last act.”</span><br/>
Bobo started, reflexively clinging to the Network. “Don’t <em>do</em> that!”<br/>
“Oh? My apologies.”<br/>
Nautilus looked again at the orb. “This memory is too soon, anyway. It won’t be much longer now, though.”<br/>
The peridexis was not looking forward to piecing together this part of the puzzle that was the Aeon’s city-history.<br/>
---<br/>
“This Aeon <a>went out</a> of its way to hurt people, didn’t it?”<br/>
“Yes. Some Wakened <a>managed to gain something</a> from the experience despite that, however. I take some respite in that.”<br/>
---<br/>
Silence. And then, <a><em>”!!!”</em></a><br/>
“I did tell you. <span class="small">And before you ask - yes, Hekket subverted him, too.</span>”<br/>
---<br/>
“Speaking of <a>how</a> <a>this</a> <a>Aeon</a> enjoys hurting people…”<br/>
This time, there is only silence.<br/>
“Right.”<br/>
A sigh.<br/>
“Back to work, then.”<br/>
---<br/>
Even though some entries were locked, <em>Nautilus</em> <a>still stored them as memories.</a><br/>
“Did they find him?”<br/>
“Yes - though Sora, tied to Xemnas’ world, was the one to fight him near my Heart.”<br/>
They both turned to look - away, down, at the entrance to this chamber.<br/>
“And Xemnas was stopped.”<br/>
“Not killed?”<br/>
“No. And not Unmade. The same cannot be said for <a>the nightmare Aeon</a>, though some still aimed to Depower it instead.”<br/>
“And Hekket?”<br/>
A grim smile. “<a>He fled."</a><br/>
---<br/>
“There’s <a>something different</a> <a>about these memories</a>, <a>but I’m not altogether certain</a> <a>how so.</a>”<br/>
“It’s not important, Peridexion. Just a little… refitting, that’s all.”<br/>
“... You’re not going to offer a better explanation, are you.”<br/>
“No~”<br/>
---<br/>
Without any preamble: “Nautilus, <a>do I need to give you a lecture on</a> <em>privacy?</em>”<br/>
The only response was innocent whistling.<br/>
“<em>Right,</em> then. First off, there is such a thing as an ‘age of consent’...”<br/>
---<br/>
“Alright, <a>this</a> I can approve of.”<br/>
“I live for your approval, Bobo~”<br/>
“Oh, I doubt <em>that.</em>”<br/>
---<br/>
This time, a thoughtful silence.<br/>
“You could say <a>there’s nothing more precious than memories."</a><br/>
“Except, perhaps, the lives they’re from.”<br/>
“... Yes.”<br/>
---<br/>
“So <a>what <em>is</em> going on here?</a>”<br/>
“Another storm, similar to the one from which the Wakened first learned that Isis was coming.”<br/>
“I meant more the individual.”<br/>
“Oh. That is Aaron.”<br/>
“Is this… similar, to what happened with Mare and Cyrus?”<br/>
“Yes, though the comparison is not exact.”<br/>
There was a nostalgic silence.<br/>
“You don’t want to talk about it.”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
---<br/>
“And <a>what is this?</a>”<br/>
“A thank you, for a <a>well-timed action.”</a>
“It certainly took you long enough~”
“Hah!”
---
“He <a>made a memorial?</a>”<br/>
“Over time, yes. Nita actually helped with construction-”<br/>
“<em>!!!</em>”<br/>
“Don’t panic, you haven’t reached her first entry on the Network yet. You haven’t missed anything.”<br/>
“I’m reassured, yet still feel I shouldn’t be.”<br/>
---<br/>
“... I see <a>animals</a> have always been a thing with you.”<br/>
“<em>Change</em> has always been a ‘thing’ with me, you mean.”<br/>
“That, too.”<br/>
---<br/>
“And then there’s the <a>age-shifting</a> theme.”<br/>
“Look, sometimes they <em>remember</em> more when they’re younger. You know how that goes.”<br/>
“... True.”<br/>
---<br/>
This time the peridexis said nothing, letting <a>the recording play.</a><br/>
“What is it you said, about free will? That the worlds are based on it?”<br/>
“And that the benefits are thought to outweigh the downsides, or counterbalance them. That doesn’t make situations like these any better for anyone involved.”<br/>
---<br/>
“As much of a -”<br/>
“I find most Wakened would call him a ‘douchebag.’”<br/>
“Right, as much of a <em>douchebag</em> as this particular Cybertronian is, <a>he has a good question</a>: <em>why</em> do you make so many plushies?”<br/>
“...”<br/>
“To have reminders of them?”<br/>
“What better reason is there?”<br/>
---<br/>
“There’ll always be someone <a>helping to start things anew,</a> won’t there?”<br/>
“That <em>is</em> my hope. And Cyrus’ plan.”<br/>
---<br/>
“And <a>this</a> is?”<br/>
“You don’t find him familiar?”<br/>
“No, not in the least. Nita likely knows him better than I do, even if they’ve never met.”<br/>
“Well, he <em>is</em> the Deva of Entropy-”<br/>
<em>”WHAT.”</em><br/>
The statement was more of a growl, and stopped all thoughts of discussion cold.<br/>
---<br/>
“He introduced himself as the Deva of Revival-”<br/>
“That’s not entirely inaccurate either - but one could say the same about <em>you-</em>”<br/>
“I am <em>not</em> like him!”<br/>
Bobo paused, turning at last from his latest orb up to where Nautilus slouched, all without losing his balance.<br/>
“Who? Ursaems?”<br/>
Nautilus paused.<br/>
“No. I… don’t actually know where that came from.”<br/>
<em>That</em> only provided more cause for concern, not less.<br/>
---<br/>
“And <a>fuck him too,</a> while I’m at it.”<br/>
“Well, being in the Labyrinth has certainly increased <em>your</em> capacity to swear!”<br/>
“Truly, it bestows the most benevolent of changes.”<br/>
“Careful; you’ll cut yourself on all that edge one day.”<br/>
“The damage will only be to my pride, I assure you.”<br/>
---<br/>
“I still think <a>this is the sort of message-sending</a> even the Powers would approve of.”<br/>
“Is it the pun? I bet it’s the pun~”<br/>
A sigh. “Yes, it’s the pun. The One really does like Its puns.”<br/>
---<br/>
“... Ursaems <a><em>didn’t.</em></a>”<br/>
“Oh, he did.”<br/>
The growling returned - only to subside.<br/>
“That is <em>beyond</em> foolish. The <em>Labyrinth</em> is <em>not</em> to be <em>fucked with!</em>”<br/>
“And that is exactly why I informed you of that.”<br/>
“Why- why are you laughing?! This <em>cracked</em> you! If the Deva and Wakened hadn’t <a>acted immediately</a>, it would have <em>destroyed</em> you!”<br/>
“... Do you know what they say about life’s most troubled moments?”<br/>
“I have several ideas, but I do not know which one <em>you</em> mean.”<br/>
“It’s that if we can’t laugh at them, they <em>will</em> destroy us.”<br/>
“<span class="small">Oh.</span>”<br/>
---<br/>
<a>Here</a> was another Network memory that the peridexis simply let play.<br/>
“I think I would like to meet Antovil, once we’re done here.”<br/>
“It will be a meeting for the ages~”<br/>
---<br/>
“Well? <a>Was it over?</a>”<br/>
“He <em>did</em> have some backup plans scurried away - Nita Awoke well in time to help defeat one aspect of them, by the way - but we have heard no word of him since.”<br/>
“True. And we would have remembered crossing him in the Labyrinth…”<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
---<br/>
<em>”Finally!”</em> the peridexis cried, what might have been hours or days later, resisting the urge to fist-bump (which must have come from one of the possible-worlds they encountered; they’d had no cause for such a form of expression <em>before</em> entering the Labyrinth’s halls…), having found what they had been hoping to see:<br/>
Nita’s first post.<br/>
Finally, something <em>reassuring-</em><br/>
But a quick glance to the side revealed something amiss - an orb that was entirely black.<br/>
“Nautilus?” they asked, casting their voice upward, to no response. Reluctantly, the peridexis put Nita’s first entry back, putting one hand to the sphere that seemed to absorb all light.<br/>
Then <em>something</em> struck - beyond the physical, it set them off-balance, reminding them of- Of-</p><p>There was, ever so faintly, a face inside the orb now.<br/>
<span class="small"><em><tt>Hello old friend.</tt></em></span><br/>
Despite the height - despite knowing that this <em>couldn’t</em> be- there was no <em>way</em> It could be even here-! - the peridexis felt the urge to step back, retreat.</p><p>
  <em>It was like Rashah, all over again.</em>
</p><p>Something - Someone - Some<em>One</em> - began to emerge, memory made real, fear made flesh.</p><p>Nautilus was there, scrabbling for a foothold, to get this new intruder <em>away</em> - </p><p>And in the same motion, the Lone Power <em>yanked</em> itself out of the sphere - and pulled the peridexis inside, in Its place.</p><p>
  <span class="small">
    <em>
      <tt>Did you MISS me?</tt>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p>The peridexis knew only blackness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Links in order:<br/>Hekket offers to help! :D https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1704311.html<br/>Nobodies Hatesing at Each Other: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1716577.html<br/>Getting apology cake for getting struck in the butt: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1718213.html</p><p>Neriae: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1728738.html<br/>Nightmares: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1734020.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1742489.html<br/>Neriae's death: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1751780.html<br/>The Dark Aeon: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1757552.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1759803.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1762285.html</p><p>Seeking Xemnas: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1770724.html<br/>Death of the Dark Aeon: https://thewakelogs.livejournal.com/551094.html?thread=16238518#t16238518<br/>Hekket Flees: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1782903.html</p><p>Mundane life in Nautilus: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1799732.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1801505.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1806461.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1808428.html</p><p>They're Taking a Mud Bath!!! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1837465.html<br/>De Nile: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1842591.html<br/>In Memoriam: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1860234.html<br/>Age-Shifting! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1872490.html<br/>Cookies! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1899639.html https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1881801.html</p><p>Death the Kid goes to Kalliste: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/1992843.html<br/>More Cute Animals! https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2015442.html<br/>Age-Shifting: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2030321.html<br/>Post-Pitch Plot: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2035800.html<br/>Plushies~ https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2241172.html<br/>Starting Things Anew: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2301859.html</p><p>Ursaems: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2312526.html<br/>AM: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2423996.html<br/>De-Nile Redux: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2470998.html<br/>Upheaval!: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2476685.html<br/>Fixing the Cracks: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2479684.html</p><p>On the Loss of Balance: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2482704.html<br/>Ursaems' Defeat: https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/2503710.html</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Truth (part two)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUu_e1mASaM">Time, Truth, and Hearts</a> (Or: The Past, The Present, and the Future)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW for... I'm not certain what to call what happens in the second part of this chapter, but 'abuse' is probably part of it. Those of you with badbrain or have had friends leave them over long periods of time, you may find this part familiar.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(The connection is distant, at first, like witnessing again another’s dream; all content: bright lights, varied shapes, noises and signs and raucous communication that it couldn’t quite make sense of, but no context.</p><p>Finally a distinguishable snippet of conversation:</p><p>"You're a native-born, not an Awakened? You've never Dreamed..? Are you sure you don't want to be Incarnated so you can actually, y'know, see what it's like?"<br/>
“‘Born’ is only one word for it, my creators said. But yes!” That voice, though, it’s strange.<br/>
“Still, are you going to?”</p><p>A shift in the connection; a nod? “Oh, I am! Or we are; everyone’s been so <em>busy</em> preparing lately. There’s just one left to wait for, I’ve been told. But I can’t stay here long, I gotta get going! Nice to meet you, though, Bye!”</p><p>Is that <em>you?</em></p><p>The connection - less and less like tunnel-vision and more like looking through a pair of someone else’s glasses - refines, and refines again; the rest of the noises become the sounds of everyday city life; a million million species of all levels of Ascension living together and living in, more or less, harmony. Claws snap and bindles wheezle in a friendly manner as you pass by, making your way towards-<br/>
Well, what other building but the Senate house? That <em>is</em> the only controlled entry to the Labyrinth, after all.<br/>
Only, there’s some construction in the way as you get close. No matter; energy <em>and</em> matter are themselves your friends! With a single coaxing word you <em>leap</em>-<br/>
And land, entirely unscathed, on the other side. There’s a stranger in the sitting booth outside the Senate building, though - but then, you consider, most people in Kalliste are strangers to you. And that’s not a bad thing! You have only been in existence for a finite amount of time, after all.<br/>
“How did you <em>do</em> that?” the stranger asks, amazed. You like how their voice sounds, and you grin brightly in response.<br/>
“I am as native to Kalliste as it is; I can ‘speak’ to it in its native language, as it were.”<br/>
This stranger is <em>fascinated,</em> now, leaning forward with one hand under their cheek. “It’s not quite Bending, is it? I couldn’t detect a distinct Trace?”<br/>
Well, this stranger must be an Angelii at the least, then; you nod in confirmation at their astuteness!<br/>
“It’s not, no; my creators did an extensive study of what makes sentience possible; the founding principles are similar as a result.”<br/>
You two continue in this manner for a while; you can feel yourself losing track of time even as you enjoy it.</p><p>Eventually, though, life interrupts; a deep ringing, almost below <em>anyone’s</em> threshold of perception, echoes throughout the plaza.<br/>
“I’d better go,” you excuse yourself. “My creators will be wondering where I am. I hope they don’t think I’m causing trouble!”<br/>
The stranger - whose name you have somehow forgotten to ask - laughs. “Somehow, I think if <em>you</em> get in any sort of trouble, it would be the enjoyable sort!”<br/>
That makes you laugh in turn, and you retreat, waving all the way. You’d like to see them again someday, but who knows what life and Time will bring…?”</p><p><strike>There is one more thing to witness. <em>It always takes at least three…</em><br/>
Now you are below the Senate main chamber - but you are not you, nor are you Transformation as you - they? - had been as an Ashura. You are <em>Lone</em>, and the Labyrinth has cut you, shown you your path, and it is the opposite of glorious. How can you embrace it, embrace them, <em>how can you fulfill your promise…?</em><br/>
You had said you would make your Angelii your Ashura, take him home with you and make him part of the fabric of the new world you and your colleagues are to create.<br/>
<em>But how can you be loved?</em> You had seen him happy, in the Labyrinth, happy and laughing with another-<br/>
And it takes no effort from you at all to Reach out through your connection and see it to be true.<br/>
You do not say a word; you head straight to your soon-to-be-Aeon leader, instead, and make no mention of your former plans.<br/>
It is as it is meant to be; you are to be - <em>are</em> - the inventor of the broken word....</strike>)</p>
<hr/><p>Blackness, again.<br/>
Distant noises, again.<br/>
Sounds of a fight…</p><p><tt><em>(“What makes you think I’m back to stay, old friend? What’s your DAMAGE? … Well, aside from that, over there, but it’s nothing</em> important<em> now, is it?”)</em></tt><br/>
The peridexis snapped back to itself, memories returning, reasserting themselves:<br/>
Nautilus was under attack, in his own Heart.<br/>
Nautilus had <em>known the Lone Power</em> - been <em>Bound</em> to It? - back in <em>Kalliste</em>.<br/>
The Powers Themselves <em>were FROM KALLISTE-</em><br/>
The fighting continued unabated, ironically giving it time to collect itself; it was being ignored, again, true, but this time it could use that to its advantage.<br/>
But what <em>truths</em> it had unearthed! The peridexis could hardly believe them - but then, it supposed, it must, whether it liked it or not.<br/>
<tt><em>(“Don’t you GET it? I</em> LEFT!<em> EVERYONE leaves!”</em></tt> “I know.” <tt><em>”Ohhh, but it’s not because that’s just LIFE, understand? THAT’S not what you fear… It’s that they’re leaving because of</em> you.”)</tt></p><p>At that, the peridexis could not waste any more time; for, apart from the verbal abuse, the Network - and to a larger extent, the Heart - was <em>shaking</em>, fractures worsening due to the damage caused by whatever fight was occurring outside.<br/>
It was far past time to stop that fight in its tracks.<br/>
The peridexis found itself, for once, grateful this shape had hands, that it could <em>reach</em> and pull itself up-<br/>
<span class="big">”COWARD!”</span> it declared, hoping its volume made up for not being able to <em>see</em> - for there was a rainbow of shattering lights about, colors in echo of what were doubtless dozens of Bending Traces past.<br/>
The fighting stopped, even as the lights - broken orbs - continued sputtering.<br/>
<tt>”Glad to see you agree-”</tt> the ghost-memory of the Lone Power spoke, but before the peridexis could find out whatever nickname It would choose to bestow, it cut It off:<br/>
“No, I meant <em>you.</em>”<br/>
It was facing the Lone Power now, Bobo was sure, even without being able to distinguish Its form; the chilly sensation of being <em>perceived</em> by It was exactly the same.<br/>
“You had your chance, when you first came out of the Labyrinth,” they continued, letting <em>Nautilus’</em> shock now add to the mix. “But rather than confront your assumptions, your fears, <em>you ran away.</em> And now look at you! Blaming him for your own choices.”<br/>
The peridexis carefully extracted itself fully from the memory-orb as it spoke, hoping it was channeling something more than banal scorn and fury.<br/>
“But the worst part of this? This <em>isn’t even you.</em> The scars you’ve left still tear at him, and I’ll bet the real you <em>would</em> enjoy that!”<br/>
Once they were on - not solid ground, but a well-anchored part of the Network - they took hold of the black orb, sensing they only had one chance to make this count-<br/>
“But guess what? Thanks to you, <em>All. Things. Change.</em> <em>Including</em> you! And this?”<br/>
By this point, the peridexis could see well enough to aim the orb right at Nautilus, who even through his shock could sense there was a plan.<br/>
“It’s <em>long past time</em> to let it go, start anew. Because You? You’re just a <em>bad dream.</em>”<br/>
It took three seconds for the orb to make the arc-<br/>
And <em>one</em> second for Nautilus to smash it.<br/>
Instead of blackness, it exploded with light.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun Fact: I also had <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSi_FE52TAY">this album</a> on my mind constantly while writing this fic. Especially the track <em>titled</em>  'Wake'.</p><p>Enjoy! :')</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Resolution</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Answering some questions - and then, finally a timestamp!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was, of course, still work to do. Not <em>quite</em> as much as there had been to start with - the energy released by the blackened memory had been enough to heal the worst of the cracks, once properly redirected - but the only major difference as the two went about the work was the <em>atmosphere.</em><br/>Less stressed. Less fragmented. <em>Happier</em>, even, which wasn’t something the peridexis would associate with anything to do with the Labyrinth lightly.<br/>“Forgive me for asking,” Nautilus broached at what the peridexis gauged was halfway through the job - and even those words were enough to get an eyebrow-rise out of them. “But how <em>was</em> your time being Asleep?”<br/>Bobo had to stop and think about it. “The strange thing is… I may never have <em>been</em> Asleep. True, Nita being Awake and in two places at once was a startling anomaly, but even I may have found some way to ignore that if I’d <em>truly</em> been Asleep, and thus subject to Isis’ secondhand sway the same way all the Powers were.”<br/><em>”Huh,”</em> was all Nautilus said to that, and then for some time added nothing more; Bobo rolled his eyes at the non-response and kept working.<br/>Then, “So you <em>haven’t</em> visited worlds made by other Powers?”<br/>“No,” they responded, this time turning to look. “What are you getting at?”<br/>Nautilus grinned. “Ever wanted to go on a tour of the multiverse?”<br/>The peridexis barked a startled laugh - then paused, actually considering it. “It would, in many respects, be similar to what wizards do already… but, yes, I think I <em>would</em> like to.”<br/>They should have suspected something was up from the look on Nautilus’ face.<br/>---<br/>Eventually, they had restored all that they could in Nautilus’ Heart, and the peridexis had no further excuse to hang around; Nautilus’ own representative form dispersing also served as a cue to get moving.<br/>That it was also accomplishing, at long last!, its initial objective, made the laborious task of returning to the Labyrinth almost worth it-</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <b>January 2018:</b>
</p>
<p>Nita woke up to a warm weight on her chest. <em>Funny, Nautilus,</em> she thought hazily, not quite wanting to get up yet.<br/><em>/Mrr?/</em><br/>At the familiar ‘voice’ - coming from both right on top of her and <em>in her head</em> - was enough to wake Nita right up.<br/><em>”Bobo?!”</em><br/>There was an Umbreon on her chest - with the telltale circles a familiar blue instead of yellow - and an expression on its muzzle that looked just as shocked as she felt.<br/>They probably woke up the whole Welcome House with their screaming.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Epilogue (June 2020)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Surprise!</p><p>I know I promised a chapter of this sort to someone, at some point...</p><p>Enjoy. ;)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Relevant links:</p><p><a href="https://thewakelogs.dreamwidth.org/1411416.html">Final Battle</a>, <a href="https://thewake.dreamwidth.org/3429817.html">Footage of the End</a>, <a href="https://thewakelogs.dreamwidth.org/1411630.html">and Goodbyes</a>.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was all over - in a good way, this time.</p><p>Not a slow dissolution, not eternal stagnation; this <i>battle</i> with some surprise facet of Isis (and when did Isis not manage a surprise? Bobo was not in any position to make that call, of course, but it seemed a reasonable statement nonetheless) had not produced anything so dreary as that.</p><p>Only the promise of eternal change, and that Dreamers could Wake without a directing Call once more.</p><p>(Ameras, perhaps, would be proud. Assuming the Aeon was even still alive. More values on which the peridexis could make no judgment calls. It bothered them, really.)</p><p>Nita had spent much of the week since the conclusive fight in Central Plaza going about and checking that everything was in its place; that all the things that should normally be moving were, and those that were normally fixed could be changed if someone else wanted to later.</p><p>That there was no further undue damage to <i>this</i> city, of all cities, to repair.</p><p>And, truth be told, the peridexis was glad to be going home - as infinite as khiliocosms could ever be said to be, they would like a break from broadening horizons, just this once.</p><p>
  <i>"Have you forgotten something...?"</i>
</p><p>The wizard and her wizardry paused at the voice; glancing at each other (Bobo had declined to have the form bound; if they reverted to their natural 'shape', they could accept that with grace, if not relief), then behind.</p><p>There was a stranger behind them - but <i>not</i> a stranger: dark skin, black hair, a 'Linear Time is <i>Too</i> A Lifestyle Choice' T-shirt-</p><p>And glasses. Rather wide-rimmed ones, with little ammonites on them.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Nita was dumbfounded, and to be sure Bobo was too - but they recognized that face, this form-</p><p><i>"I believe I mentioned taking a multiversal tour,"</i> their tag-along said with a grin. Putting one finger to his chin, he added.</p><p>
  <i>"You may forgive me if I did not say it recently, but it is true that I did say it. If it is not unfair to presume I may 'tag along' to yours first...?"</i>
</p><p>Nita had failed to parse what was going on - or, perhaps, had parsed it, and then ceased to parse much else. Bobo could forgive her for that, but still they nudged her forcefully.</p><p>
  <i>/Of course you may - that is, if you intend...? Only, there are some Beings there that may take issue-/</i>
</p><p><i>"If that happens, I'll solve those issues myself,"</i> their new companion answered, with just a hint of <i>conviction</i> in his voice.</p><p>Nita relaxed, somehow, and nodded. "That's... okay. I think I can deal. I mean- I'm honored-!"</p><p>And then he laughed. <i>"Friendship is honor enough. That said, I do prefer action to words. If we shall continue forward?"</i></p><p>Bobo shook their head slowly, as they proceeded through the Gate; the Wakened and the Wizardry, moving out and on to one particular nexus of Powers-</p><p>Home.</p><p>The next stop on a journey with no true end, only chaos and order, pain and joy...</p><p>Choice, and Change.</p>
  </div></div>
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